Word pronunciations....

Outbackmanyep · #1 04-06-2007, 10:13 PM

This always sticks in my neck....
Pronouncing old names....
How do you get "Dew-merrick" out of Dumaresq??
How do you get "Gunna Goonoo" out of Goonoo Goonoo
Or pronounce Tia as "tyre"

I notice out in the country areas you pronounce a word with " i " as "eye"
Quirind-eye
Mungind-eye

You can understand Narrabri or Boggabri but Quirindi?

Get this, here in Walcha we have a bridge just north of town called "Bergen-op-zoom"
Now can anyone tell me what an "op-zoom" is supposed to mean...

This is confusing and hilarious at the same time....

My head hurts....

matt · #2 04-06-2007, 10:16 PM

I lived on Goonoo Goonoo Road in Tamworth between 97-98.

Always thought it was funny how that name was pronounced. Still do

Outbackmanyep · #3 04-06-2007, 11:08 PM

Much cooler in Canberra i take it!
To me, Tamworth's weather was much like Penrith's....
What did you do in Tamworth?

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #4 04-06-2007, 11:13 PM

It would also help by explaining to people that where you live 'Walcha' is pronounced 'Wolka'.

I have heard many people over the years pronounce it as 'Wall-char'

And how many of us say 'Cam-brah' for Canberra.

Dujon · #5 05-06-2007, 10:31 AM

Goonoo Goonoo has always been 'Gunner GunNOO' to me since I stayed on the station back in the early sixties. My father was surveying in the area and allowed me to tag along for a couple of weeks. We used part of the shearers' quarters as shelter.

Duri was pronounced as 'DEWrye' by the locals. The range northish from TAMworth (on the way to WALka) were the 'MOONbyes' and not the 'MOONbiz' as I have heard from time to time. Quirindi was always 'KerINdye'.

I'm sure that locals will set me straight if I'm wrong.

Ken, I have never pronounced Canberra with an 'm', but I am guilty of pronouncing it as 'CANbruh'. Perhaps the influence of a certain political journalist?

asterisk (Geoff) · #6 06-06-2007, 03:54 PM

Even worse:

Canowindra (central Slopes and Plains) pronounced "Kanowndra"

MadMonk · #7 06-06-2007, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outbackmanyep

Get this, here in Walcha we have a bridge just north of town called "Bergen-op-zoom"
Now can anyone tell me what an "op-zoom" is supposed to mean...

According to my (Dutch born) wife 'op zoom' (pronounced 'zoam') means 'on the ridge' - Bergen-op-Zoom is a town in the Netherlands

xstream (John) · #8 06-06-2007, 06:07 PM

Here's one from our way: Colac Colac pronounced "Clack Clack".

[1ponders] (Paul) · #9 06-06-2007, 07:13 PM

From the Rainfall Coast (formally the Sunshine Coast)

Weyba - whyba - pronounce weeba or wayba by the non-locals

Cootharabah - Coo (like a dove)-th-ar (as in arrow)-a (as in a)-baa (as in frightened sheep) - but to the tourist Cootha-ra-baa

wasyoungonce (Brendan) · #10 06-06-2007, 08:19 PM

I lived in NZ for some time...ok I know what your thinking and no I never had relations with a sheep...anyway NZ has a lot of funny place names:

"Whykickamoocow" which is sounded as you read it

"Whakatane" which the "Wh" is pronounced "F" (from what I recall) as in "Fakhatane"

you kinda get the picture...well it used to crack me up...maybe I was younger then!

Anyway despite the place names I love the place...my brother even more so..he married one of them and is living there!

erick (Eric) · #11 06-06-2007, 08:28 PM

I like it! From Wikipedia-

Waikikamukau, Why-key-car-moo-koh (pronounced as if saying "Why kick a moo-cow"), is an imaginary small rural town or locality in New Zealand. New Zealanders use the name as a placeholder name for "any town" or to denote a particularly remote rural town. It has a similar connotation as the term wop-wops, or Timbuktu for other English speakers:

wasyoungonce (Brendan) · #12 06-06-2007, 08:40 PM

haaaa i lived there and thought the place was real...well maybe all my Kiwi neighbours also thought it real as well.... or maybe (as I whisper) they were having a go at me....whispering still!

You have to laugh!

gmbfilter (Geoff) · #13 06-06-2007, 09:10 PM

Rouchel, NSW locals call it "ru kel", makes it very easy to get lost.

wasyoungonce (Brendan) · #14 07-06-2007, 05:21 AM

Although not a place name, you could add the Qld beer 4X or XXXX or however they pronounce/spell it

Sorry Qldr's it tastes like it spells

Outbackmanyep · #15 07-06-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonk

According to my (Dutch born) wife 'op zoom' (pronounced 'zoam') means 'on the ridge' - Bergen-op-Zoom is a town in the Netherlands

OOOH! Thanks for that MadMonk!
NOW i have an answer!!

So this site, according to the local yokels, would be pronouced
"Eye-sss Eye-n Space"????

I have even heard Silastic pronounced "S-eye-lastic"
Im waiting for "D-eye-gee-till" (Digital) to be heard around here but things move quite slowly here....which is good in a way.....a relaxing lifestyle...

And how do you get a Holden Rodeo "row-day-oh" and go to the rodeo "row-dee-oh"
Got me stumped!

Outbackmanyep · #16 07-06-2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wasyoungonce

Although not a place name, you could add the Qld beer 4X or XXXX or however they pronounce/spell it

Sorry Qldr's it tastes like it spells

You know why its called XXXX ? Its cos they cant spell "Beer"......lol

Outbackmanyep · #17 07-06-2007, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dujon

Ken, I have never pronounced Canberra with an 'm', but I am guilty of pronouncing it as 'CANbruh'. Perhaps the influence of a certain political journalist?

Not Peter Harvey?? lol
He's been glued to the same spot outside parliament house for years!

I know i have heard people call Walcha "Wol-cha", and i dont blame them for that!